No Ordinary Love
by Sevi Snape
Summary: A re-write of my first ever fic. Here it is the fic thats started it all. Hermione falls madly in love with a certain person but does he reciprocate? Who is the new DADA teacher? Why is she acting so strange? Hermione is young, in love and in a whole new
1. New Year, New Problem

  
  
Disclaimer. I own the plot and Professor Belle. But the rest I only borrowed. So enjoy my parts. This could be made into a short original story but I am too lazy to make up my own characters, so I have to borrow someone else's sorry!  
  
OK so here we go. Two points of view in here so try not to get confused OK? Right here we go.  
  
  
   
  
  
**  
Chapter One  
**  
Looking out of her window Hermione mentally went over all the things she had to pack for school. She was wondering whether to take some extra books when she realized that she could get them from the library. She was just packing her potion ingredients when she remembered who she would be seeing when she got back to school! She had fallen in love in her fourth year and now this was the year she was going to tell him! It was her final year at Hogwarts so it was this year or never! In less than an hour she would be going to Kings Cross to catch the train to Hogwarts, and going to see HIM again! She got changed in to a simple T-shirt and jeans and surveyed herself in the mirror. She was by no means stunningly beautiful but she was attractive, even pretty. She had changed a lot this summer her hair had gone sleek and shiny (true it was due to immense amounts of her homemade hair serum) and she now a beautiful figure, well she would have liked a little less bum and a little more breasts but on the whole it was rather nice. Why could he not appreciate her? To him she was just another girl and a very annoyingly clever one at that. She picked up Crookshanks and walked over to the dresser and picked up a picture of herself, Ron and Harry. She had thought about him most of the summer. But every time she did she usually burst into tears, usually scolding herself for being melodramatic as soon as she started. He did not love her in the way that she loved him, he didn't even like her. Her futile attempts to show him how she felt had ended in her humiliation. When this happened she usually resorted to eating a whole box of chocolates and then sat there for the rest of the week looking solemn and sick.

~*~

  
  
  
He wandered round the house, packing items in his case and looking round every room to find those last elusive items that may have escaped his attention. He usually was well organized but he had failed to wake up this morning. This may have been due to the fact that in an attempt to try and numb the realization of what was to come, he had drunk a bottle of wine in one night. This would have not been too bad if it weren't for the fact that he made it part of his lifestyle to never consume alcohol. In less than 8 hours he would have to sit at that godforsaken table in the godforsaken hall and watch the rest of the godforsaken school assemble there.  
  
He slowly walked over to the fireplace and took some floo powder out of the small silver pot on the mantelpiece. Throwing the powder into the flames he picked up his trunk and stepped into the flames and uttered, "Diagon Alley."  
  
He felt a warmth around him and the feel of the wind rushing by his face and then he was still. Taking a moment to get used to the sudden stop, he stepped out of the flames and found himself in the rather full pub, known as the leaky cauldron. As always this place was full of hags, wizards, witches and other magical beings. Quickly and quietly, not wanting to be talked to, he picked up his trunk and made his way out of the pub. He stood in the small back alley, and began to rifle through his robes in the search for his wand. Eventually he found it and counted the bricks on the wall for a minute before tapping one of them gently. Magically the wall began to disappear to reveal the heaving busy street of Diagon Alley. Quickly he glided bat like to Gringotts and withdrew some money before having to disapparate to a Kings Cross. It was already 9.55am and if he didn't hurry he wouldn't be able to catch the train.  
  


~*~

  
  
  
She arrived at platform 9 ¾ at 10am and met Harry and Ron at the other end or the platform.  
  
"Hey Hermione" yelled Harry  
  
She walked over and hugged both of them.  
  
"Hey Hermione...you...erm...you look..." began Ron  
  
"You look great Herm" finished Harry giving Ron a look that Hermione didn't see.  
  
She was looking down the platform.  
  
"Oh no" she thought, "there he is!" She had spotted the object of her affections at the other end of the platform and wondered,  
  
"What's he doing here? He doesn't usually travel by train! Oh and I look a state!"  
  
Quickly she began to make an attempt to straighten her hair and adjust her top. But her effort was in vain as he didn't even look at her.  
  
When the whistle went they headed for the only empty compartment on the train, which was strangely at the front. They soon found out why this was, Snape was next door and no student wanted to be near Snape. He was notoriously evil and liked to take points off any student from Gryffindor! They soon settled down trying not to make sufficient noise to bring Snape in to the carriage.  
  
Hermione sat apart from the others and began to look up potions and study 3 or 4 potion books very carefully. The others just thought she was still scared that Snape would give her detention and they didn't question her quietness. The journey to school was fairly uneventful unless you count the time Snape had barged in to the carriage and said, "will you ignorant children keep in down as I am trying to work!" in a voice so cold it made Hermione freeze. Hermione spent the rest of the journey telling the others to keep quiet thus confirming their suspicions that she was indeed scared of Snape. As Hermione read, Harry and Ron played exploding snap Ginny entered.  
  
"Hey Ron can you lend me Pigwidgion because I need to send an owl to mum because I left all my quills at home." She said with a look of concentration on her face.  
  
"Yeah sure" replied Ron and leant over to pig's cage to release him. Ginny sent Pigwidgion off and then left the carriage.  
  
  


~*~

  
  
Silently sitting in the train compartment he looked around. The compartment was almost empty, apart from a tall dark haired woman. She was about 37 although she did look younger. She was talking to him a chatty and friendly way. He didn't hear her conversation. He was too immersed in his own thoughts. Was it right for him to like her? Even as a friend? He didn't know and these thoughts mixed with the hang-over had caused an immense headache.

"Afternoon Sarah." Severus finally acknowledged.

"I was wondering when you were going to say hello. Still not cheered up then?" Sarah smiled and picked a book of her bag and started reading it.

Severus got back to his brooding, something he was very good at.  
  
  


~*~

  
  
When they arrived at school, Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed up the steps while trying to keep out of Snape's line of vision. This was because they knew only too well that he would deduct points from them there on the spot and they didn't feel that would be a good start to the school year. As Hermione entered the great hall she felt her stomach drop she suddenly didn't feel hungry and just took her seat with a slightly peaky look in her eyes. Harry and Ron noticed that she kept looking up to the staff table and eventually came to the conclusion that she was trying to decide who the new teacher was. She was very pretty, with dark hair, tanned skin, large brown eyes and what seemed to be a pleasant nature as she was politely deep in discussion with Snape who had lost the usual scowl off his face. A least half the boys from each table were now gazing up at the new teacher. They all tried to feign interest into who she might be but it was blatantly obvious that they were staring at her and thing that she was someone they would really like to get to know. Hermione scowled up at her for now apparent reason.  
  
"They only like her because she's pretty!" she declared  
  
"Well Hermione boys do tend to like pretty girls, unless of course they are gay in which case the like pretty boys!" declared Ron without averting his gaze form the teacher.  
  
"Bet she is the new Defense against the dark arts teacher." Said Harry "She can't be that bad because even Snape likes her and he hated every other dark arts teacher didn't he?"  
  
"I suppose so" came Hermione's sullen reply.  
  
"Welcome back to Hogwarts all of you" said Dumbledore" I have few announcements to give before we go on with our feast. Firstly this is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Belle. The second announcement is that Professor Belle will also be taking Professor McGonagall's duties as head of Gryffindor house. The third announcement is that I want you all to enjoy the feast so eat up"  
  
  


~*~

  
  
Can this woman not shut up? He thought to himself as he tried to appear interested in what this Sarah had to say. Personally he hated the beginning of year feast. It meant sitting there among a lot of rowdy children and staff and having to try and appear to be vaguely interested in their summer stories. It also meant that this was only the beginning to a very boring, frustrating year at the school. Which probably end with Harry Potter having a near death experience and then being hailed as hero for his stupidity.  
  
Eventually they were dismissed and he wandered back to his room. His sanctuary. Few people had ever been allowed in his room. Only 2 to this date to be exact, and one of them had been Dumbledore. He wasn't a solitary man. Far from it, he was a compassionate man and had a certain regard for life, almost a love for it. it was like he and life had a silent agreement, he would keep to himself and not make his life to difficult to live and life would make sure he had somewhere quiet to live and enough to see him through. Even if it wasn't a happy life.  
  
Opening the door to his room his stood in the door way for a moment before walking in. this was his life. A dark room and a job he hated. Throw in a bit of despair and heartbreak and a son and you had his life in a nutshell. Severus Snape. The cold man that everyone hated but didn't know why.  
  
  


~*~

  
  
The next morning Hermione arrived very early and sat at the Gryffindor table and waited for Harry and Ron to arrive. When they did they immediately began to tuck in to a breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage and beans.  
  
"Have you had breakfast already?" asked Ron thickly through a mouthful of bacon  
  
"No I was waiting for you two," she said eyeing Ron's bacon but then helping herself to half a grapefruit and pumpkin juice.  
  
"Try the real food its good," said Ron  
  
"No Ron I have strict eating plan that I am keeping to. I, unlike some people" she said looking at Ron and his breakfast "I actually like to keep my body free of a fat overload!"  
  
"Eating plan? Since when?"  
  
"Since I realized how much rubbish I'm putting into my body, Ron" she replied  
  
Ron looked at Hermione's body and an expression of someone trying very hard not to choke came over it. Hermione didn't notice this. She was finishing her grapefruit and helping herself to some musli when Professor Belle came round with the Gryffindor timetables. This was due to the fact that Professor McGonagall had left last year to marry a French wizard who taught at Beuxbatons.  
  
"Oh no we've got double potions this afternoon!" groaned Harry  
  
"Yeah but we have got Defense Against the Dark Arts first lesson" said Ron gleefully  
  
"Oh for goodness sake" snapped Hermione "She is a teacher."  
  
But for some reason she had stopped mid sentence. Before Harry or Ron could question her, the bell went and there was a lot of frantic scuffling to get bags and get to lessons. All three of them were hurrying towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson along with the other Gryffindors. Ron dashed in to get the seats in front of the teacher's desk. Hermione was tutting and giving Ron a disapproving look as she sat down. Professor Belle entered and addressed the class with a smile.  
  


~*~

  
Why was I the one that has to give her the message?' he thought as he walked down the corridor to the defense classroom.  
  
He hated having to talk to this woman. She never shuts up. Luckily he knew this before she had started working here. He had known her very well when he was younger. Before he knew it he had reached the door to the classroom and looked in the small window at the door. all of the boys in the class were looking intently at the Professor at the front of the room. Most of the girls were either admiring her or giving the boys, probably their boyfriends, exasperated looks. Smiling inwardly at how these teenager boys had been overcome, simply by her looks. Just as he had been, when he was younger of course.  
  
Knocking on the door he walked in.  
  
"Professor, I have a message for you." He said handing her a piece of parchment.  
  
She smiled and took it. While she was reading it he looked around the room, with a scowl on his face. The whole class had pretended to work. Again he smiled inwardly at how they did this, maybe he should have been a little less severe with these children, but why ruin a good thing?  
  
Then he noticed that the one person he would have expected to be listening intently to this woman and writing down everything she said was in fact staring to space and the parchment in front of her was completely blank.  
  
"Miss Granger will you please pay attention!" he said before he could stop himself.  
  
Maybe this severity wasn't all an act, maybe it really was part of his character.  
  
He watched as she jumped and blushed bright red. He had always quite liked her eager attitude to her work. He didn't want her to fall behind now did he? Why had he shouted at her? Damn!  
  
"Please Severus," came Belle's calm voice, "Hermione is my student too and in my lesson and so I will punish and reprimand her should I think she needs it."  
  
He looked at the woman in disbelief.  
  
"Very well Sarah," he said in a quiet whisper.  
  
Turning on his heel he left the room. The moment he closed the door he could hear chatter break out from within the room.  
  
Why hadn't he just kept quiet?  
  


~*~

  
  
  
"Hermione may I talk to you?"  
  
"Erm... Yes of course Professor," said Hermione nervously.  
  
When everyone had left the classroom Professor Belle addressed her again.  
  
"I covered for you because you looked very worried. Now would you like to tell me what you are worried, about because I will understand" said Belle kindly  
  
"Would you mind if I didn't tell you just yet Professor? It's just that it is very personal and I think I need time to think about him, erm I mean it before..." Said Hermione. She realized what she had said and blushed furiously again.  
  
"Excuse me Professor I need to go." She said before leaving quickly.  
  
She ran all the way from the Dark Arts classroom to Gryffindor tower and then up in to her dormitory and flung herself on her bed. She stayed there in that position for a further half an hour until she mentally shook herself.  
  
"Hermione get a grip she was trying to help! You can't hate her because she's beautiful, she didn't choose to be like that. Grow up." she scolded herself. She got up and looked at herself in the mirror and dried her eyes and washed away the mascara that had run down her cheek and she stared in disgust at her reflection.  
  
"Cheer up dear its not that bad" said the mirror sympathetically.  
  
Hermione gave a load sniff and nodded at her reflection and redid her make- up. When she looked her normal self again she went down into the Great Hall for lunch.  
  
As she entered the great hall Harry and Ron looked at her and gave her quizzical looks and gestured for her to join them. She sat down next to them and began to help herself to some soup. None of them said anything for a while and they ate their soup as they sat in silence.  
  
  
  
Reviews welcome. After all they are what keep me writing. If no one reads it then there is no point in writing. And if you don't like it and want to tell me please be constructive about it. That's always nice.


	2. Momentary Lapse of Reason

**Chapter Two **  
  
  
"So what did she want?" ventured Ron.  
"Oh she just told me that I was recommended to her by our previous teacher and she would like to see some of my previous work" Hermione lied.  
"Oh well… that's nice isn't" said Ron uncertainly.  
They soon went back to their normal friendly ways as they ate their lunch and Hermione even forgot about her eating plan.   
"Oh I almost forgot, Professor Flitwick asked us to ask you whether you would go and see him because he has to give you extra homework because you missed the lesson." Said Harry  
"Oh yes of course I will, I was just…. Well…I mean…what it is…" began Hermione   
"Its OK you don't need to tell us if you don't want to," said Harry in a friendly tone. She gave him a grateful look. Just then the bell rang and they all got up and headed towards the dungeon were Snape's lessons were held. 

~*~

Severus was pacing round his classroom. He had seconds before his class would start to enter the room. He hated these lessons. He thanked his stars that he could now control his thoughts and reactions. Other wise he would have swept her up in his arms and kissed her until she swooned. 

All too soon he heard the chatter of students getting closer to his classroom.

"bugger." He said quietly he had wanted more time to collect himself. 

Oh well here goes, maybe time will go quickly and if your lucky she won't turn up.

Just before the students arrived the door opened to reveal Sarah Belle.

"What do you want?" Severus snapped going to sit at his desk.

"I was wondering what Hogwarts favourite potions master is doing tonight." She said seductively.

"I'm busy." He replied shortly.

"Doing what?" he voice was dripping with lust and pulling the clip out of her hair, allowing it all to fall around her face.

Severus looked her straight in the eye.

"Not you." Was all he said in measured tones.

~*~

  
  
The students lined up outside the door and waited for the rest of the class, mostly Slytherins, to arrive. When the door opened it wasn't Snape that emerged but a very embarrassed Professor Belle. She was blushing and playing fussily with her hair. Noises of people trying to hide giggles could be heard all around and Hermione was looking at Professor Belle with a look of half shyness and half anger on her face. Professor Belle hurried off towards the main castle as Snape emerged and beckoned them inside. Harry and Ron had to cover their mouths with their hands to stop themselves bursting out in to load and inexplicable laughter. Even with the muffled giggles of Harry and Ron next to her, Hermione managed to get a whole lessons work done in 30 min. 

She was just about to raise her hand when, without looking up, Snape said, "Miss Granger I do not wish to know that you have finished before everyone else." He said this with a bored tone of voice and then continued "if you feel that this will make up for your lax efforts in Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson you are very much mistaken. I feel that Professor Belle was foolish to cover up for you but I can assure you I will not let you off for behaviour like that in my lesson!"  
At this Hermione once again blushed scarlet again. Snape looked back at the papers on his desk and then, without looking up said, "20 points from Gryffindor Weasly for pulling that obscene face"  
At this all of the Slytherins burst in to laughter as Ron gave Snape a murderous look, to which Snape just smirked. For the rest of the lesson Harry and Ron did their work quietly while Hermione did extensive reading on truth potions. It was strange but Hermione, as embarrassed as she was thought that he had been a lot less angry sounding than he usually was. 

As they reached the corridor all of the Gryffindors, except Hermione, gave a great sigh of relief and began to moan whole heartedly about Snape. Harry, Ron and Hermione had barely got 10 ft away from the classroom door when Snape yelled "Miss Granger can I please have a word? Now."  
Hermione froze and looked as if she was about to be sick. Without a word she doubled back and went back into the classroom. Harry and Ron had the feeling that when Hermione eventually emerged from Snape's wrath; she would not be in the mood or frame of mind to want to talk to them. Taking this fact into account they headed up to Gryffindor tower to put their bags and books in the common room before heading down to the Great Hall for dinner. 

~*~

  
  
When Severus thought that all the class had left he turned to Hermione and looked at her with a look of deep concentration on his face. He seemed to be trying to say something but never quiet saying what it was.   
"I'm sorry I shouted." Was all he seemed to be able to say.  
"Oh" said Hermione shocked "OK then. I will be going then"   
"Hmm" said Snape not looking at her.  
He had turned his back to her as if he was trying to hide something. Hermione took this to mean that the conversation was over and started to head for the door. She stopped when she reached it, and looked back. He was still sitting with his back to her so she left. 

Severus turned around only when he heard the door click shut. He relaxed into his chair and ran his hands through his hair.

~*~

  
  
Harry and Ron did not see Hermione for the rest of the evening. They had a feeling that she was probably curled up on her bed reading (her way of coping with any type of stress) blotchy faced and puffy eyed from crying. They did not go looking for her as they sensed that she would probably have turned her back on them or shouted at them to go away. 

"Do you think she's alright mate?" Ron asked as his bishop smashed Harry's rook.

"Yeah, she probably gave Snape as good as she got. She'll just be a bit shook up at standing up to him." Harry reassured Ron.

Harry moved his pawn to king D4.

"Checkmate mate!" Harry beamed.

~*~  
  


Hermione was in fact in Professor Belle's office having a polite discussion and doing the work that she had not done in the lesson. Since she had seen how embarrassed Belle had been when leaving Snape's office she felt I little more warmly to her. This was owing to the fact that by judging the mood Snape had been in Belle had probably confronted him about Hermione's lack of attention in class.  
"Professor what were you doing in Professor Snape's class before we arrived?" hazarded Hermione.  
" I was asking him not to come in to any more of my lessons unless it was important." She said. But it was clear from how she avoided Hermione's eyes that this was not the whole story.  
"Well then why did you look so embarrassed?" Hermione prompted  
"Miss Granger I hardly think that we should be talking about this when you are here to catch up with work that you were not paying attention to in class!" said Professor Belle with the blush coming back to her cheeks. At this Hermione fell silent and continued to write a detailed essay on the ways you can tell an Auror apart from other wizards.   
" Hermione" said Belle after a while " have you…you wouldn't know if…no never mind forget it"  
"No go on Professor" prompted Hermione "what is it"  
"You wouldn't know if Professor Snape has a wife or a girlfriend would you" Belle said finally.  
Hermione fell silent, with a strange look on her face.  
"No" she said in a cold voice, "I wouldn't know. Now if you don't mind I think I need to sleep. I hardly think this is the time to discuss such things. I have work to catch up on. Goodbye Professor Belle"   
Without so much as a backward glance Hermione picked up her books and left. 

~*~

Severus was sat in his study going over some of his lessons plans. His heart wasn't in it though. It was 11pm he was tired and these were plans for lessons 4 months away. Eventually after half an hour of mulling it over Severus got to his feet. He made his way to the door and stepped out into the cool night air that swept through the castle. This was his favourite time to roam the castle. Contrary to popular belief it wasn't so he could catch people out of bed, that's was an unpleasant coincidence. He enjoyed these midnight strolls because they silence in the castle was comforting. It wasn't like the silence in his rooms, which was just still. The silence in the castle was like the noise of silence rather than the absence of noise. Hard to explain but an enjoyable sensation.

~*~

  
Hermione was considering going back to Gryffindor tower, but then made a detour to the library. She didn't know why exactly it wasn't as if the library would be open. It was like a force of habit. When she found the door to the library locked, as she knew it would be, she decided to make a trip to the kitchen. She kidded herself she wanted something none fat and healthy, when really her body was screaming for cream cakes and chocolate. She was mulling this craving over in her mind when she collided headlong into something solid, it was a person. Before she realised what had happened a voice said "I'm sorry" and then she looked up. It was Snape, and she was out and about after hours!  
"What are you doing out of your dormitory Granger?" said Severus without his usual sneer or coldness. Quite the contrary actually he seemed almost shy, it didn't really suit him and made him sound very strange, like someone using polyjuice potion but not matching their costume with the right persona.  
"Oh, Professor I...what I mean is… that is to say" Hermione hazarded  
"Stop muttering Granger." Said Severus half-heartedly. He was trying to sound angry but he just didn't seem to be able to.  
"Yes Professor, I was just going to see if I could hand these books…" began Hermione but stopped as Snape had simply wasn't listening. He was looking at differently than he usually did, in an almost longing sort of way. She thought that he was thinking and she had interrupted him. They stood there willing each other to break the silence. Now the silence was the absence of noise, but pregnant with expectation.  
"Hermione would you…" began Severus finally, which took both Hermione and himself by surprise. He usually called her Granger or Miss Granger but never, until now called her by her first name. She didn't think that he even knew her first name. Hermione blushed furiously, as she involuntarily thought how sexy he made her name sound, just by saying it. They looked away from each other and stood there in an awkward silence. It was Hermione that broke the silence.  
"Are you going to see Professor Belle Sev…erm I mean Professor?" she said blushing now a deep crimson.  
"No I was in fact going to see…"

_If you'd kiss me.___

"If you…"

_Thought I wasn't ugly._

"Were in her office as I wanted…"

_To rip your clothes off and kiss you all over.___

 "A word about your work." Said Severus nervously. 

It had seemed that it had taken a lot of will power to speak and think at the same time.  
"It's rather hot don't you think?" Severus continued hoping if he carried on talking his last sentence would seem stupid., "Would you mind continuing our talk outside Herm…. Miss Granger?  
Hermione nodded and followed Severus down to the entrance hall and out of the front doors. They both stood there for a while in yet more silence like this was the most embarrassing moment of their lives. After a moment Severus seemed to get his usual vocabulary and grammar back and said, "I would firstly like to apologise about showing you up both in my lesson and in your Defence Against the Dark Arts class. I was wrong to do so." Severus paused at this point.  
Hermione didn't quite know what to expect next so she just stayed silent. After a moment Severus continued,   
"I also wanted to say that…what I mean is…it's just that" Severus seemed to be finding this very hard to say.   
During his struggle with words Hermione found herself subconsciously closing the distance between them. He had noticed this and seemed to have lost his train of thought and just looked at her. All too quickly Hermione was so close her lips were millimetres from his and they didn't stop. As if afraid he would pull away Hermione put her arms around Severus, shaking but not from cold.  

Severus was shocked, he felt warm soft lips on his own and small delicate arms round his frame. It felt so alien to him, but I felt so good. Good enough for him not to want to let it go. Their eyes closed and their tongues entwined Severus wrapped his own arms around the small girl….woman.

All too soon reality and reason slapped Severus in he face. She was a student, his student. This was going to be too awkward for words. He pulled away dropped his hands. Hermione looked at him her arms still round his neck. She went to kiss him again but he leant back and reached up to take her arms from his neck.

"No." was all he said.

He turned on his heel and strode back into the castle and left Hermione standing there mouth open and cheeks burning.

   
  



	3. A Successful Meeting

Chapter Three  
  
  
It was 9 o'clock on Tuesday before Hermione woke and remembered what had happened the night before and with a slight smirk got up and began to get dressed. She had kissed the oh so cold and unapproachable Severus Snape. 

She knew that she would be too late to get breakfast so she headed to her first lesson. For the rest of the week she thought about Monday night and concentrated less than she ever had on her work. 

The week carried on without anything-eventful happening until Friday. This was the day she was half-dreading and half hoping for. All week she tried to stop her stomach dropping every time she heard the words Snape, like or potions. She hadn't seen Snape all week and had a feeling that he was avoiding her and for this she was grateful, as she would have gone bright red in the corridors. 

But nothing could stop the inevitable meeting when she had a potions lesson. As they lined up outside the dungeon door Hermione blushed very deeply and tried not to look at Harry and Ron's quizzical looks but instead busied herself by looking at her work from last lesson. As usual Snape beckoned them inside and as he caught Hermione's eye looked away with a slight pinkness round his cheeks. He didn't come inside the classroom till this pinkness had subsided. He then strode in and began the lesson as normal. When they had all set to work he sat at his desk and began to look at some new specimens on his desk, now and again looking up at Hermione as if to say something so her but deciding this wasn't the place or the time. After about half an hour of this looking up and then back to his notes Hermione saw Snape get his wand out and a moment later there was a message under her page of neat work:   
  
**_I need to talk to you tonight.   
_**  
Hermione didn't know what to say so she took out her wand and sent a message back saying:   
  
**About what? You can forget about what happened it was inappropriate.**   
  
Almost immediately there was another message under the first:   
  
**_I don't want to forget it, I want to talk to you about it. The entrance hall at 10 tonight.  
  
_**At this Hermione looked up and saw Snape watching her. She gave a small smile and a nod then returned to her work. Even after those messages Snape kept looking up every now and again; it was as if he expected her to be gone next time he looked up.

~~*~~

Severus had dreaded this lesson. So far it had been just fine, almost normal to the eye. The message had been sent and the time was arranged. This would be sorted by tonight and they could get on with it. But what exactly was it? Did he want this? Did he want her? He had lusted for her, but that was just that. Lust, curable and repressible. 

He kept checking to see if she was still there. To make sure she hadn't run off to get away from him.

He wanted to test his real feelings. He had tasted delight and still wasn't sure. It had been over so quickly and it had been so long since that had happened that he wanted to relive it. 

But did he just want that or did he want her? He couldn't decide just yet. He'd leave it up to her. It was her life too, he wasn't just going to ruin his own pointless life if he followed his wants.

~~*~~

  
When the lesson had finished Hermione felt almost back to her old self again and even did something she hadn't done all week, laughed. Harry and Ron had been very worried about Hermione's lack of happiness until now. They seemed to think that this was just a phase and her sudden and inexplicable cheering up on Friday seemed to confirm their suspicions. That night after dinner all three of them sat in the common room deciding what to do over the weekend. There was a good forecast for the weekend so they decided to go down to see Hagrid, or rather Harry and Ron decided while Hermione listened. When they had decided this Hermione went upstairs to get some homework and curled herself up in a corner to do it. She sat there apparently engrossed in her History of Magic essay, because when Harry looked at the essay it was just a page of doodles. At 9.45 Hermione got up and put her homework away and said that she had to go and see Professor Binns about her essay. At this she left the common room she kept looking over her shoulders, as she was keen not to be caught.   
  
Hermione arrived at the front doors five minutes early and decided to wait inside until Snape had arrived. As she stood there it dawned on her how suspicious this would look. her wandering around after hours and meeting Snape at this time just added to the strangeness. While pondering this Snape arrived and not noticing her in the shadows he went straight outside. As much as she wanted him to kiss her again this was very weird. With this thought she fled. She was almost certain that Snape had seen or heard her running back be he did not call her or follow her. She went straight up to the boy's dormitory and stood at the door, took out her wand and whispered "Accio map". When she had done this the marauders map flew off Harry's bedside table and flew into her hand. She went back down to the empty common room put her wand tip to the map and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" and the map began to appear on the parchment. Hermione scanned the map very carefully and finally found what she was looking for. Snape was pacing his office on the second floor and she suddenly felt a huge lump in her throat. She had left him there. She swallowed the lump and went up to bed. 

~~*~~

Pacing round his office Snape cursed loudly. 

"shit!" he said.

Of course a pretty girl like her wouldn't want someone like him. He was 23 years her senior and he was not the most handsome of men. Oh to hell with mincing words he was ugly. 

He had thought she would have stayed though. He had thought more of her than that. He knew he wasn't that bad a kisser. Was he?

Yet again the girl had changed her mind and left him cold and lonely. Just like last time. Except last time his body didn't ache with pure lust and caring.

~~*~~

  
The first potions lesson in October Snape seemed to have a change of heart and seemed to show his sadness by acting twice as angry as he had been before the incident. This was clearly shown as when they walked in to the lesson Ron dropped his books.   
"10 points from Gryffindor Weasly for being a clumsy oaf" Snape barked.  
Hermione sat at her table with a very dutiful look on her face. She got on with her work as usual and when she had finished she sat back and read it through. When she got to the end of it she saw, yet again, a line of writing that she never written:   
**  
Please meet me tonight and don't leave straight away.**  
  
She looked up and saw Snape looking at her, brow furrowed waiting for a reply. She took out her wand and wrote a message back:   
  
**I'm not sure whether our meeting is a good idea!  
**  
She sent this and watched as Snape read it. His face looked as though he was trying to stop him showing any emotion or expression. He sent back another note:   
  
**Please I think we need to talk about what happened.**   
  
Hermione read this with her forehead furrowed and sent yet another note:   
  
**I will come to your office at ****11 o'clock****.**  
  
She sent this and watched again as Snape read the note. He looked up and nodded. Hermione knew that this time she would have to meet him, as she was the one who had made the arrangements to meet with this thought in her head she Raised her hand and said "Please Professor can I go to the toilet?"  
Expecting Snape to shout at Hermione, Harry and Ron braced themselves and the Slytherins smiled. But the reprimand didn't come he merely nodded and said "take your things with you as the bell is about to go"

At this Hermione picked up her bag and left the dungeon, she then made her way to the toilet. About half way there she realised that she didn't really need the toilet and that now she had seen Snape's face when she had ran away from that first meeting, she couldn't hurt him again.   
  
Hermione went about her business as normal that night and decided that this time she would have to use Harry's invisibility cloak if she had any chance of not being caught out of bed after hours.  
"Harry can I use your invisibility cloak?" She asked as he and Ron were playing gob stones by the fire.  
"Why?" he asked but paying by getting squirted by one of Ron's particularly large stones. " I need to get some books out of the library but Madame Pince will have gone by now" she lied   
" Yeah OK but I need it back tomorrow" he said with a look of great concentration on his face.  
At this Hermione went up to get the cloak out of Harry's trunk. She hid it in her bag and went back downstairs. It was only 10.30 so she sat down next to Harry to watch the end of the game. Ron won but only very narrowly and both were covered in the gob stone liquid. At 10.55 both Harry and Ron went to the bathroom to wash the stuff off while Hermione slipped out of the portrait hole. She covered herself in the cloak and set off. She quietly walked down to the second floor and took out the map to see if Snape was in his office. He was and by the way he was moving (he was walking in circles) he was very nervous. Hermione took off the cloak and knocked on the door. The sounds of movement ceased inside the room and after a moment's silence the door opened. There was a very tense silence as Snape looked at who it was at the door and made a gesture that clearly meant come inside. Hermione stepped inside and looked around. She had never been in here before. It was a fairly small room, but that could have been due to the fact that it had floor to ceiling bookshelves, which not only contained books but jars of strange specimens and dried plants. These were obviously potion ingredients and instead Hermione looked at Snape's desk. The desk was very tidy it had neat piles of parchment and a few candles there but that was it. Snape seemed to be looking at Hermione with an expectant look on his face. It was as if he was waiting for her to pass judgement on his office. Hermione had never seen this part of him it was almost child like as if he was waiting for praise.  
"Well" began Snape.  
"Yeah." said Hermione it was as if there were no words for what they wanted to say.   
After another few moments of awkward silence Snape said, "Did you mean it?"  
"Yes I did. I mean I do," said Hermione quickly  
"I had hoped so but then you are. Well, your … younger" he said rather lamely  
"Yes I know" know said Hermione with a down cast expression on her face.  
"Would you like something to drink?" asked Snape sitting down  
"Erm… no. Did you ask me to come all the way down here just to tell me I am too young?" asked Hermione choking back anger "or is there another reason because if there isn't I think it's a bit late for polite chatting and drinks."  
Snape didn't say anything he just looked at her trying to think of what to say.   
"Well if that is it Professor then I has to get back to Gryffindor tower." She said   
She walked to the door but he go there before her. He took hold of her and pushed her against the wall.  
"Severus I hardly think that this will make…up…for..." but he was kissing her passionately and she was not going to stop him. They were like that for what seemed like seconds (it was in fact 10 minutes) before Hermione pulled away.  
"Am I too young now?" she asked.  
Before he could answer she had pulled him towards her for the second time.  
  



	4. Suprises

Chapter Four -Surprises.  
  
Although there was no tension between Hermione and Snape the incident had certainly affected Snape and he looked very happy. He was not even angry when Neville spilt a whole cauldron full of a freezing potion on the dungeon floor. He merely waved his wand and it did a sort of reverse spilling. Hermione had noticed this but she was not going to let this get in the way of her work. It was now mid December and the feeling of Christmas had set it. Hermione now had the ball to organise. The usual decorations had been put up and everyone was busy discussing what they were going to wear to the ball. This didn't distract Hermione from her usual work. Because of her role as head girl she had offered to help arrange the ball so she had that to keep her busy as well. Even Harry and Ron didn't seem to think that Hermione was struggling with her feelings but then they were trying to cope with their homework and yet again screw up the courage to ask a girl to the dance.   
  
Hermione was very involved in this dance, as it would be something to keep her mind off the things that had happened. This ball was to be fantastic and Hermione had insisted on organising as much of it as possible. She had chosen a very good band called Olympian Destiny, to play at the ball. The menu had been sorted:   
  
Pork Chops.  
Beef Stroganoff.  
Bouillabaisse.  
Chicken Almandine.  
Grilled Salmon.  
Chicken Casserole.  
  
She had chosen the decorations, there were to be banners of each of the schoolhouses round the room and in the centre of each table was to be a miniature replica of the school crest. She had even chosen what was to be on the snack table for after the feast. It was incredible how she could do all this and still have time to do all her homework.  
  
One night Hermione was going over the list of things that still needed to be done for the ball when a small first year came running over to her.  
"Excuse me but Professor Snape is outside the portrait hole and he wants to talk to you," he said breathlessly.  
"Oh OK" she said getting up and putting the parchment down.  
She left the common room and spotted Snape at the end of the corridor. When he saw her came running up and said in a hurry, "I was wondering whether you would like to dance with me at the ball?"  
"You came all the way down here to tell me that?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.  
"Erm … it's just that… I mean… Yes" he said finally looking rather sheepish.  
"Well then, yes" she said blushing furiously. As she turned to go back into the common room when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Snape's face. He was looking at her with a pleading look in his eyes and she knew that her feelings for him were returned with that knowledge she turned and went back to Gryffindor tower. He grabbed her arm and led her towards the front doors. Before they got there Hermione pulled him into an empty classroom. Giggling she walked up to him. Suddenly they heard a noise. The classroom wasn't empty! There were to shadowed figures standing by the window. Curiosity took over both Snape and Hermione and they fell silent.   
"I really do love you!" came a hushed voice.  
"I know but I really don't know if I feel the same way about you." Came a second voice this time it was a boys.  
At almost the same time Snape and Hermione realised who the owners of the voices were. The girl was Pansy Parkinson and the boy was Malfoy! Quietly they both left as Pansy began to cry. Giggling they made they're way back to Gryffindor tower and said goodnight.

"What did he want?" asked Ron with a surprised look on his face. It was obvious that he expected her to be in tears and not, as she was, smiling.  
"He just wanted to ask me something" she replied in a dreamy voice.  
Harry recognised that look on her face as that was the look he wore when he was thinking about Quidditch. Hermione not realising this walked past them to her homework sat down and resumed her writing. 

~~*~~

Severus all but clicked his heels are grinned like a giddy school boy. Not only had he attained the woman, he done it alone, no magic at all. Suppressing the stupid smile that was threatening to spread across his face he made his way down to the dungeons. 

He had reached the first floor before he met anyone en route. Unfortunately the first person he met was Sarah.

"Severus how nice to see you." She said her expression unreadable and her tone of voice sultry.

"good evening Sarah what is it that causes you to be out and about at this hour?"

"oh nothing. I just came for a walk hoping to bump into someone, I mean something to do."

~~*~~

Hermione sat in the common room trying in vain to concentrate on her work. After half an hour of staring at the half filled piece of parchment she gave up and decided to take a bath. She would of course need to use the prefect's bathroom. Running upstairs she fetched her bathrobes and towels and set of to the fourth floor and the prefects bathroom. She gave the password [merepeople] and went in. This was by far the best bathroom in the whole school. Completely made of marble with a bath the size of a small swimming pool. Hermione turned on a few of the taps and while waiting for the bath to fill up she brushed her hair. She got undressed and climbed in. It felt wonderful in the midst of all the bubbles. She lay back and relaxed letting her mind go blank. She was thinking about what to wear to the ball [pink robes or pale green] when she heard a noise outside the door. Assuming it was Peeves she got out hurriedly and wrapped her bathrobes around her. She stood there drying her hair when she heard the noise again. It didn't sound like Peeves. It sounded human, and pleasurable. She collected her things together and left the bathroom. She paused at the door and pointed her wand at the plughole, instantly the bath started to empty. Hermione opened the door and saw who was standing there.  
  
"Severus!" Hermione yelled.  
She had just walked in on a scene that she wished she hadn't. Standing in front of her was Snape and Belle looking rather nervous and very embarrassed! Belle had lipstick all round her mouth and she had evidently put her hair up as some of it was still up but most of it was tumbling down her back!  
"I'm sorry I think I may have opened a door to a strange universe." Hermione said shocked and shut the door again. Almost immediately she opened it again. 

"oh no I haven't . in that case I am sorry to have intruded and I'll leave you both to it."

She began to make her way past them hurriedly to Gryffindor tower.  Before she got more than 3 metres away she found she was unable to move she turned and saw Snape almost jogging towards her, his wand out.    
Snape caught up with her and took hold of her arm as she was trying to find her wand to remove the curse.  
"Listen it's not what it looked like." Said Snape quietly.  
"What was it the? Did you trip and land with your lips on her mouth?" Hermione asked sarcastically "I know what I saw Severus and that was not a mistake" Hermione almost growled those last words at him.  
"I'm sorry but I did not mean for it to happen," said Snape quietly.  
He moved forward to kiss her but she pushed him away.  
"Don't you even dare think that you can do that to me after what I just saw! You are a lair and judging from the last month a very good actor! I thought I had really hurt your feelings that night when I left you at those front doors. In fact I can see you're a damn good actor I mean we all thought you were a mean sarcastic git but we were wrong you're a cheating pig, even worse, you're a man!"  
Snape didn't let go of her arm he made to move toward her waiting for her to pull away. Instead she stood rigid as if frozen. Her lips were tight and she wore a look of defiance on her face. She looked down the corridor at a gob smacked Sarah Belle. She had obviously never been left for an imperfect being. 

Hermione pushed Severus away with a self satisfied look and turned to go back to Gryffindor tower.

"When you decide whether you want me for sex or not let me know would you!" she called over her shoulder to Severus left in the middle of the corridor alone.   
  


~~*~~

When Severus finally got back to his rooms he slammed the door shut and picked up the nearest thing he could lay his hands on, an ink bottle and flung it across the room. 

"Damn that woman!" he spat. "I swore never to let this happen."

He took a decanter full of an amber liquid from the sideboard and pour some into a glass. 

"I swear that she won't get to me and I swear I'll make her pay for what's she's done." He said before downing the contents of the glass, slamming it down and retiring to his bedroom. 

~~*~~

  
It was very lucky that the holidays were finally here as this reduced the time in which those long awkward silences occurred. The last potion lesson had been nothing short of mental torture for Hermione. She wanted so much to hear him say sorry to her but his pride and her stubbornness were as strong as each other. He had taken to ignoring the fact that anything had happened. Occasionally they would look up to see the other watching them only to quickly turn away again. 

Whenever Hermione had a defence class or met Sarah in the corridor it was hard to say whose glare was more likely to turn the other to stone. The temperature around them seemed to physically drop form the icy glares that came from both women. 

  
The Christmas ball was almost here and Hermione had made sure every detail was perfect. She had chosen her robes (deep crimson) and tried all sorts of different hairstyles and now she was looking at make up. She wanted to look stunning; she wanted to make him feel awful, he was going to want to rip her clothes off and kiss her all over by the end of that ball! On the morning of the ball Hermione took out her robes and used a straightening charm on them. she went over to her dresser and tied back her hair. She made her way down to breakfast and sat down. She had finished her grapefruit and musli when the rest of the Gryffindor came downstairs. She had just got up to leave when Snape walked into the hall. She looked at him tossed her hair and walked out leaving him they're staring after her.  
  


Hermione started to get ready for the ball at about 5pm as it started at 8pm. She went back to the prefect's bathroom for a bath and then to her room to dry and style her hair. She had curled it into ringlets and then tied some back to keep it off her face. It was tied back with a ribbon that was exactly the same colour as her dress. She did her make up and chose dusky pink for her eyes and lips and finally put her dress robes on at 7.30pm. She looked at her self critically in the mirror and there was no escaping the fact that now she did look beautiful! Her hair was soft and shiny and her skin flawless. She was not fat and as she stood there began to imagine Snape's face when she walked into that hall.


End file.
